STAND. COM. REP. 1001

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1427

H.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred S.B. No. 1427, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RELAY SERVICES FOR DEAF, HARD-OF-HEARING, AND SPEECH-IMPAIRED PERSONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill, as received by your Committee, is to:

(1) Require the Disability and Communication Access Board (DCAB) to monitor relay services for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-impaired persons in Hawaii;

(2) Require the Auditor to conduct an audit of the DCAB Special Fund and the scope, services, and costs of providing relay services; and

(3) Appropriate funds from the DCAB Special Fund to provide for the costs of the audit.

Testimony in favor of this bill was submitted by Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii, Aloha State Association of the Deaf, and several concerned individuals. DCAB supported the intent of the bill and recommended that the sections pertaining to the audit of DCAB's Special Fund be deleted. Verizon Hawaii offered comments.

Your Committee finds that instituting an advisory committee within DCAB will help to increase the quality of relay services by allowing consumer input and feedback from individuals that use the service. Your Committee notes that DCAB testified that it is willing to take on this role and would not require or seek additional funding for this expanded responsibility.

Your Committee has concerns that the intended purpose of auditing the relay service will not be served by an audit of the DCAB Special Fund, as the two are not related. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by removing the DCAB Special Fund audit and changing the source of funding for the relay service audit from the DCAB Special Fund to the Public Utilities Commission Special Fund.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1427, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1427, H.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce,

 

____________________________

KENNETH T. HIRAKI, Chair